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Monday, August 31, 2015

Continuing on with the home tour, we move on randomly to the Master Bedroom.

This is the smallest master bedroom we have ever had in a rental home, yet it doesn't seem to bother us now. At first it was a tough adjustment. Yet, it doesn't need to function as anything other than a bedroom unlike in the past. I don't know if you remember but the last master bedroom we had to put both dog crates and my treadmill in it. There simply was no other space for those things. Here however, it is luckily just a bedroom.

This is the view when walking into the room. You immediately see my side of the room.

Our new to us queen size bed fits nicely in it. We were in need of a new bed when the person Hubby was replacing offered up his four year old mattress. It was in his storage unit and had been for three of the four years had owned it. The mattress was going to be tossed as he couldn't take it with him. We gladly picked it up.

Things that were once in other places now needed to be tucked into new locations due to the smaller space. Suitcases under our bed, seasonal clothing and additional space saver bags are stored elsewhere. It's not a big deal to us in the long run because we do have the space for it.

I put my makeup cabinet next to Hubby's dresser so as not to block the entryway into the room. Speaking of the makeup cabinet it should probably be called something else since it now holds most of my fashion jewelry and hair tools along with other beauty products.

Unlike the last home where we had not one but two large walk-in closets, here we have two standard closets. We are sharing both at this time because of the shoe rack. Like I mentioned earlier, we had to move other items like coats and blankets into the playroom closet. Honestly, I don't really miss anything as this worked just fine for us. We hardly went into the walk-in at the last house.

One big thing I wanted to change about this master bedroom was to remove the TV. I wanted that in our common area downstairs. We didn't use it enough to make it worth keeping in our bedroom. I also opted to not put the mirror up on my dresser. The screw on the back was messed up in the move and I did not want to mess with it. It wasn't worth it. Since there really was no other place for this I tucked it behind the laundry hampers so it is out of the way. It doesn't look pretty but it works.

On my dresser there are my two target jewelry boxes, both Nooks, a travel DVD player, and my old keepsake box from my father. There is also my tall bottles of perfume that couldn't fit in the makeup cabinet, as well as some face towels. This is the cleanest it will likely ever be. I'm terrible at leaving junk up on top of it.

My nightstand has stayed surprisingly clean here too. It's always been cluttered in other houses, but I am really trying to work on this. I straighten it up every night if it looks even slightly messy.

I typically have a few books, my kindle, and kindle charger hanging around. I try to read prior to bed. Typically I am reading one or two books at a time, especially if I get bored with one. In this case I am re-reading "bringing up bebe." I was in that new mommy zombie haze when I read it the first time. Have you read any of these?

Also on my nightstand is Bears' Monitor and my cell phone charger. Both cables are stuffed under the lamp to both keep them hidden and on the nightstand. Fishing for cables is never fun at night.

It's another room that serves it purpose. It's not my ideal Master bedroom but it works. I'd love my walk-in closets back but oh well. I do whoever love the simplicity in. It is just a bedroom and not trying to serve any other purpose.

Has your bedroom turned into anything other than bedroom? An office maybe or home gym like ours used to be?

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Warning: If you don't like reading about lady bits and lady doctors this is not the post for you. you might want to check back another day or browse the some of the earlier post.

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A few days ago we went to the RE. They had a much earlier appointment, 6 weeks earlier in fact, so I jumped at the opportunity. I was also thankful that it landed on a day that Hubby was off. I like going to these initial appointment with him. This process involves him even though I am the one receiving treatment. I want Hubby to be comfortable with the course of treatment as well as to be able to ask any questions that he may have. Daily visits aren't needed but these types I feel are needed. That said I would have gone without him if I had to instead of waiting another month and half.

John Hopkins grounds are really Beautiful.

I was extremely nervous for this appointment. It's a new doctor and while I kind of knew what to expect every doctor has their own way of doing things. To add to this stress he did not have a copy of my records from my previous doctor. I needed to sign a waiver to have them sent but I couldn't do that until I had my appointment. I all seemed silly to me. But it is what it is.

I was even taken early because I had already filled out all the paperwork ahead of time like they asked. I guess people don't normally do this.

The process was a bit different than I expected. I gave a verbal account of my history after a doctor, I will call the assistant, had read my file. Bear started to lose it and thankfully Hubby handled it all the best he could. A toddler throwing a fit is never fun for any but especially not at a doctor's appointment.

Up next was pelvic exam and sonogram. It was one of the most awkward exams I have ever had. The assistant, a full-fledged MD in her own right gave me the exam while my doctor stood in the room spot checking her after a few responses.

Then came the internal sonogram. The assistant started and went through everything. He then took over and checked everything again himself. Everything came back as expected. My lining was very thick and my ovaries were a bit swollen but nothing to be concerned about. This is to be expected since I have not had a "menses" as the doctor kept calling it since April. TMI I know! But hey that's what you are going to get here when talking about RE appointments.

Throughout all of this Hubby is trying to wrangle Bear in the background. I hear Bear laughing from being tickled, Hubby trying to get him to focus on something that wasn't me or what was going on, and on top of it all one of phones was playing Paw Patrol with the volume on loud enough for me to hear. It was a three-ring circus in that exam room yet I seemed to be the only one bothered by the whole thing. Then again I was the only one naked in the room.

After the exam we headed over to the doctors office to discuss everything. My doctor is also a professor and it was evident in him trying to explain the egg cycle and hormone levels to me. He also further explained PCOS and how it will effect this whole process both with trying for another child and long term effects / treatment. This a life long struggle I will have.

Since he didn't have much to go on without my records in hand he explained the course of treatment and where he would like to start. I first and foremost needed to have a "menses" or period. I needed to flush my system of the build up. This I fully expected. However what I didn't expect is what he said next.

"I want to start you on just Femara alone, nothing else, over the course of several days and see how your body reacts to it. The from there we will make adjustments."

This felt and still sort of feels like a step backwards to me. I had been on a combination of Femara and Follistim with an HCG trigger with my previous doctor. Going back to just Femara alone makes me think it's a waste of time. Granted without my records he has nothing to go on which makes this a logical step for us.

The doctor also believes this is the right step because he is also concerned about multiples. Rightly so. I had a preterm c-section and multiples adds another level of risk to an entire pregnancy. The thought to multiples, even twins, frightens us. I am at least glad he wants to be cautious about this.

So for now I need to just wait for him to review my records and then see if he wants to continue with his previously stated course of treatment or if he has something else in mind. Regardless I know I just need to wait and see how it all goes. My body and hormones have changed since having a child so how I will react is a guess. Fingers crossed though this isn't going to be as long of a process as I feel it might become.

Monday, August 24, 2015

We got to take a trip to NY once again! While we never need an excuse to visit, this time we had one. A dear sweet friend of mine/ours was getting married. Something we just could not miss!

One thing you may or may not know about me is that I hate wearing dresses. So naturally when I discussed this wedding with friends they decided that I had no choice but the wear a dress. With no viable excuse I conceded and started searching for a dress. One trip to David's bridal and I fell in love with the 6th dress I tried on. Let me tell you that this has never happened before. Especially not when in the horrible condition I was in the day we went. My shoulders we still burnt from too much sun, my hair was in a ponytail, and it had been a few days since I had last shaved my legs. Despite all of that I felt pretty in that dress.

Then came the accessories. After a heated debate about the color of shoes I should wear, I put it on IG for a vote. I lost miserably, but after getting off my butt and trying them both on I very much preferred the Nude Pumps (#2) over the Black Pumps.

Jewelry was pretty easy. It needed to be something I owned already since the dress busted my budget for the wedding already. I have tons of stuff so something had to work. I ended up going with the set I wore for my first Military Ball with Hubby.

The necklace would not be needed so I just used the bracelet, earrings and broach. Not to forget the black pashmina just in case I got cold.

The broach went onto this small black clutch I own to dress it up a bit. It's cute on its own but it was better with a little something extra here.

With my outfit complete I needed to make sure Hubby had something acceptable to wear. Sure enough the one and only suit he owns still fits perfectly. The tie and shirt he had also worked. When you wear uniforms all day one suit is all you need.

The weekend quickly approached and after hubby got out of work we all piled into the car and headed north to my hometown. The drive was relatively simple as always.

We spent the first day shopping. No trip to NY seems complete without at least a little bit of shopping. OK and maybe some pizza as well. We spent way too much at the Columbia Outlet and then a bit more at the discount store for items we need for our upcoming beach trip. Beach chairs and sand toys mainly.

The next evening was my/our friends wedding. I spent the morning making sure my father and his girlfriend knew every tip and trick I could think of as they were gracious enough to watch Bear for the evening. This turned out to the very first time we have left him with family. He has been to day care several times, but no one has ever put him down to bed other than one of us. Also, he has never woken up from a nap and without one of us there. I had no idea how he would react. My fear is that he would scream his head off for hours. Needless to say the first night out without Bear had me pretty worried.

We got ready and headed off early to the church. Genius me left the invitation at home so we arrived even earlier than I anticipated. We sat in the church, chatted and waited.

The Church

Oh the memories... The church is part of the undergrad college I went too. I went to mass here many times and have seen many people get married here over the last 10 years... Eek I'm showing my age.

The wedding was as I expected, quick and to the point. The bride looked amazing! As I shared with her I am uber jealous of her dress. She looked fabulous in it. Here is where one would typically add a picture of happy couple but I don't do that sort of thing because I like to keep some sense of privacy. Sorry. Instead here is a picture of her beautiful bouquet.

After the wedding they posed for pictures while we headed off to waste some time before the cocktail hour started. Clearly we had no idea what we were in for as we stopped at McDonald for a quick bite to eat.

Then a Starbucks run of course.

Like I said, we had no idea what we were in for. Regardless we enjoyed our treats and headed to the reception once again way early. Had it not been for valet parking we may have napped in the car for a bit. Yes we are that old apparently!

Before going into the beautiful reception venue we took an opportunity to fill out the card and check in on how Bear was doing. All seemed to be going well with Bear thankfully. He was happily enjoying his Cheerios and hadn't cried much at all.

This was the card we picked out. We went fancy since the actual gifts had been sent early due to our move. Also who wants to lug present back after their wedding? The card was huge and didn't even come close to fitting into the box they had for them. Oh well. I placed it on the table and left it at that.

Once inside I signed the guestbook, found out what table we would be at, and then promptly found the bar. I had a much needed Cosmo to unwind from the internal panic I had from leaving the toddler with my father. However, it was incredibly delicious but way to strong for me to keep drinking them the rest of the night.

First drink of the night.

I switched to Chardonnay for the remainder of the evening. Note this seemed like a great idea at the beginning of the evening.

Since we were pretty much the only ones there at this time I snuck in some pictures of the venue. They don't do the place justice.

Before the cocktail hour started I went off to the ladies room before it got insanely crowded. In there I found this...

I think it is a super cute idea for anyone getting married! I know several people, including myself, that could have used something like this in their moment of need! You never know when a zipper could break, as some poor guest had happen.

We each had another drink while waiting for the cocktail hour to begin. Guests began pouring in as the shuttle from the hotel had arrived.

Moving on to the actual cocktail hour...

This was one of 6 or 7 stations (I lost count) you could go to get food. Had we known we would be eating so much we would not have stopped for food before heading here. You had everything: a hand rolled sushi, a carving station, a made to order pasta station, and of course fresh cut fruit. Seriously, there was more food here than at the fancy buffet in Louisiana we went to! However, this place hands down had better food! I wanted to try a bit of everything but managed to not get to half of what was around. I sampled watermelon with feta, alfredo pasta, raw clams, steamed shrimp, and antipasto. My top picks were the hand rolled sushi and smoked salmon over a dill cream cheese on a crostini. Everything I tried was delicious but those were the only items I went back for seconds on. We were not sure if this much food was in place of an actual meal or not so Hubby and I happily ate up. About an hour or so later the crowd was escorted to the ballroom for the remainder of the evening.

I felt very smart at this point to have filled out the guestbook and checked our table number upon arrival as it was packed during this transition. Word to the wise, always do this early. Also, I wrote out in the notepad of my phone what I wanted to write in the guestbook on the drive there. It made it so much easier than thinking of something with a crowd of people staring at you.

We easily found our seats at table 16. While I didn't know anyone else at the table prior to the wedding I got to know them over the course of the evening. We pretty much were all "young" couples. I'll put that in quotes as we were the oldest people at the table to my knowledge. The newlyweds next to us had just been married 6 weeks and when they heard we are going on 5 years of marriage we got these wide eyed looks with a big "wow" followed by "that's a long time." Ah newlywed bliss... Barely thinking about the road ahead that 5 years seems long. I'll take their shock as a compliment.

Upon sitting down we learned two big things. One that the cocktail hour was in fact not dinner, that was still to come,

and two they had a photo booth. One I assure you, we would not be going to take pictures in. Or so I thought in my clearly sober state.

This is a fabulous I idea when you have a bunch of out going wedding guest like this couple had.

While everyone was settling into their new location the waiter came around and asked each person what they were drinking and what their choice of entree would be. Like the old married couple we are we could not decide between two dishes, the beef or the fish, so we each got one and planned to share. Our waiter was amazing! Hands down the best service we have ever had at any wedding or formal event we have been too. This is saying a lot as we have been to many many events with great waiters. More on the waiter later.

Like every wedding I have been too they announced the bridal party then then New Couple. They jumped right into their first dance. It was incredibly sweet to see them both look so happy. Up next was the bride and her father. They danced to a short snippet of a song. Something I wish we had done at our wedding. A whole so is a long time when everyone is staring at you. Then the Groom and his mother danced for a bit. Last up was the bride and her grandfather. It all was super sweet.

With most of the formalities out of the way it was time eat, again. We enjoyed our appetizers before getting up to mingle a bit. When we returned our plates had been cleared and lemon sorbet had been placed at every seat.

It was a refreshing palette cleanser prior to the entree. A bit more chatting with the people at our table and then the waiter came around with a tray full of shots. Not just any shots. It was fireball mixed with something cream based. I took a quick sniff despite knowing it was a bad idea. Ever wonder what regret smells like? This was it. Bad judgement was tossed aside when the whole table raised shots to the happy couple. The girl to my right and I both hesitated drinking. We go oh what the hell and downed the shot. It is not one I will ever do again. That is for sure. I am long past my college days of drinking awful shots just for fun. Well call this a one time thing and leave it at that. I'll stick with wine.

Some more chatting and then out came dinner. The waiter placed the beef dish in front of Hubby and the fish in front of me. He tells me that the fish is the best thing on the menu. He was absolutely right. It was fabulous. I tried Hubby but regrettably told him he could only have a few bites and I wanted the rest. When the waiter came back around he asked us which had won out. The Chilean Sea Bass was just so perfectly cooked and delicious. The Beef was good but the fish was clearly better.

Remember earlier I said the waiter was amazing? Well he came back after everyone in the room had been served with a new fish dish for Hubby. He said the dish was left over as someone had changed their mind and wanted something else. He added "I snagged the last one before it swam away." Which of course I found funny in all its corniness. Hubby was incredibly grateful for this. Well above and beyond what he needed to do. He also shared with us that if we didn't finish our meals, he could pack it up for us to take home. I'm not sure he told this to everyone though as we were the only ones with to go food when I wasn't the only one who didn't finish their meal.

After the table was cleared, once again did more shots come out. Another round of fireball but I opted out. I would not make that mistake again! Some more mingling and drinks passed the time while other were dancing up a storm!

We took this as an opportunity to head over to the photo booth. Earlier I had assumed that it would not be happening but in my then intoxicated state it seemed like a good idea. I should add I generally hate pictures of myself hence why I did not want to do it earlier. What changed my mind, besides some liquid encouragement, was something one of the newlyweds at the table asked me. She asked, what was the best piece of advice you were given the day of (our) wedding. I said it came from Hubby's aunt. She said never take life too seriously. Marriage much like life brings with it the good and the bad. If you can remember to goof around and have a good time even when it seems the sky is falling you'll be OK in the end. So with that thought in mind we went over the photo booth. We both decided to pause and see what everyone was doing before we stood inline. Aside from one couple they all seemed to just have a good time with it much like you are supposed to. During our turn we realized how a small table or something like that would have helped when you are grabbing at props in a box in the short few seconds between pictures. The results were OK. They were added to the book with everyone else with the note "never take life too seriously."

Some more mingling and back to our seats we went. It was then I told Hubby if he hadn't planned on it he needed to tip our waiter. Hubby had a fresh tonic and lime (he was DD for the night) and I had my wine glass filled. Or maybe glasses considering there were two there for me. No idea how that happened. However, I must have ordered the Kennedy Package as my glass was never empty. Neither was anyones at our table.

Not too long after we sat down the couple cut the cake and finished up the last of the formalities. The bouquet toss followed by the garter removal and then garter toss. This was a pretty funny part of the evening. The bride started calling out all the single people who tried to dodge this wedding tradition.

Up next the dessert was served. We were under the silly assumption that the sampler was for the table but we were wrong. Everyone got their own yummy plate of treats and a slice of cake.

The evening concluded with a lot of dancing. I will add the MC of the night was fabulous! He had everyone up and moving.

After the last song had been played at midnight we said our goodbyes and headed home.

Once we got home my Father met us to fill us in on how Bear handled our absence. Thankfully he did great and everyone had a good time.

The next day I spent the morning nursing a hangover. One too many Chardonnays at the wedding. Hubby gratefully took care of Bear that morning. A long nap later and I was good as new. Clearly I am not as young as I used to be! The rest of that evening we spent in the pool relaxing. Bear loved the water so he had a blast.

Saturday, August 22, 2015

There is something strange that happens when people find out about you suffer from infertility. They always seem to "know" someone or heard of someone whom had problems conceiving but then magically they got pregnant naturally. Usually this is after they have already adopted or used a surrogate or had given up on the idea of ever having kids.

This story my friends is a load of crap. Sorry for the harsh crash back to reality. The one in a million or whatever unlikely statistic of people this actually happens to is small. This is an abnormality. Not something one can hang their hope on. Not something I find very comforting. Yet anyone struggling with infertility hears this story over and over again. From everyone to a family member to a random stranger that overhears your phone conversation (true story). This "story" is often told by people who want to comfort you. Make you feel better about your situation. Give you a sliver a hope.

It's sweet but I'm sorry, I'm not buying it. I'll be polite. I'll nod and smile. Sometimes I'll even throw in a "yeah I know someone that happened too," just to make them feel better about it all but I won't believe a word coming out of your mouth. It the thought behind it, that I appreciate. The fact that someone felt the need to try to ease my mind about it all. That I can get.

The "story" is just that. A sweet, yet misguided story. By the time you hit the point of seeing a specialist, getting tested for everything under the sun, injecting yourself with medicine and being heavily monitored just to conceive makes the notion that it can happen naturally extremely far fetched. Comical even.

However, please for the love of all that is holy, unless you yourself have defied the odds don't share this story especially if you are unaware of their own personal struggle. If someone in your life is struggling with infertility. Just listen. We know you want to say something to us and that "story" often ends up being what comes blurting out, but an "I'll be praying for you" or any version of that is more than enough. It will convey the same sentiment without the possibility of bothering the recipient.

Friday, August 21, 2015

This book would have been fabulous to have back when my son was a baby. Back before I was making purees. While I used many of these suggestions without ever having this book I do think this book is well worth the purchase. It contains everything from food prep to defrosting. Good things for every parent to know. Let's jump into some of the features found in this book.

I really loved the flavor compatibility guide found in this book. I rarely mixed thing together in anything other than apple sauce for no reason other than time. Even when I did this it was directly before feeding, not when freezing. This is something I regret not doing as it often meant that my son got one note flavor food. This would have helped him try the same food in different combinations. My son thankfully ate everything (I know you all hate me now) but if he say didn't like just broccoli puree mixing it with say carrots that he liked may have made the broccoli more palatable for him. Moms, seriously keep trying different combinations to get little ones to try new foods.

This book also contains several plans on what foods to introduce or cook together according to their meal plan. This could be very helpful if you needed some ideas. Bulk cooking has its benefits because you don't have to cook every day. Something as new mom I loved. One less thing to do daily.

I also loved the many recipes this book contains. It is a great way to mix things up when you feel like baby is getting bored with your meals. Overall I would recommend this book as a great jumping off point but don't feel you have to stick to this verbatim. There is a lot of flexibility when starting solids.

Thursday, August 20, 2015

Lets jump right inTrying: A New Crocheting Pattern - I am in love with doing a ripple recently. I am hooked, Pun intended! It's an easy flow that I can basically do this in my sleep.

Drinking: Green Tea. Boat loads of green tea. Hot or cold but its just so delicious.

Deciding: On new Art. Mainly for Bears play room and his bedroom. I know there is one I will be making using his baby shower cards, new baby cards, and baptism cards all in one frame. Then there are some small posters/pictures I like for the playroom.

Wearing: far to many workout clothes. Which wouldn't be a problem except it's less working out and more for the comfort. eek.

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

We have been here for whole 3 months and 8 days or 100 days if you like neat and tidy numbers. Maryland has been a surprise from the beginning and it feels like it hasn't let up yet. One of the things about this military lifestyle is that you never know what to expect. Hubby thought he was coming here for one job and it turned out he is doing things different. Part of this job means that his schedule is not what we expected. He is working 4 days and then off 4 days all year long. This includes weekends and holidays. Because of this he is working most major holidays this year. Bear is thankfully young enough to not really get it when it comes to holidays so we can move the festivities to work for us. No need to miss out when we can move it. On the flip side we love this schedule. It gives us a unique opportunity to do things during the week. This includes some much missed date "night". We aren't near family and don't have a sitter so here we can put Bear into hourly daycare and actually go out even if it is during the day. We'll take what we can get. We are trying to take advantage of all that this area has to offer. You all probably know that we have spent quite a bit of time at the National Aquarium since it is warm outside. When it cools off we will be spending more time at the Maryland Zoo. We have also been able to see family more than we thought we would be. We have been to New York several time and plan to go several more. Hubby's family has come up for a visit. We plan to see them more times throughout our stay. Additionally we have taken the first trip to DC. There are even more plans in the works like a trip to Ocean City Maryland and a visit to Frontier Town. Then there is a visit to the waterfowl festival, a camping trip, a visit to Fort McHenry, some day trips to Annapolis and exploring more of DC. A full plate you could say. We feel like we are constantly on the go which is a huge difference from life in Louisiana. I'm not complaining though. We love it!This really is one of the better posts we have been at. I never really adjust to life in Alabama and Louisiana began to feel like home after 3 years despite all the moves. I was comfortable there. Our last home in Louisiana I greatly loved. I miss it the most. I like our current house but I loved our last home. This one just doesn't feel comfortable to me yet. It may never but such is life. A new home will come along in a year or so when the military moves us once again. In the mean time I will take advantage of our current situation.Overall, right now I can say I love what this area has to offer. I could grow to like this place very much.

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